Jon Hamm

Tab

In his two-hour Archive interview, Jon Hamm discusses his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri and his early love of reading. He recalls how he got interested in acting and decided to move to Los Angeles in 1995 to try to make it as an actor. He talks of not finding immediate success, but eventually landing a role on Providence, followed by a regular role on the series The Division. He explains how he shot episodes of The Unit after shooting the pilot for Mad Men, not knowing whether or not Mad Men would be picked up. Hamm then details his work as "Don Draper" on Mad Men - he describes his audition process, working with his castmates and show creator Matthew Weiner, and production on the show. He comments on the Mad Men finale, and shares what he'll miss most about working on the program. Hamm also touches on his experiences with live television on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, speaks of doing improv on Web Therapy, and talks of working with his former acting student, Ellie Kemper, on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He describes what he likes about acting, outlines his then-current projects, and offers advice to aspiring actors. Jenni Matz conducted the interview on June 25, 2015 in Beverly Hills, CA.

"At the end of the day, what we all hope to do is be a part of something eternal. Something that continues to inspire generation after generation and I really hope our show ['Mad Men'] is one of those."

Chapter 1

On his childhood and early influences; on his parents' deaths when he was young; on his love of books and reading; on television shows he watched growing up

08:04

On attending UT Austin and the University of Missouri, St. Louis; on transferring to and graduating from the University of Missouri, Columbia; on getting involved with the theater department and moving to Los Angeles in 1995

04:34

On auditioning and getting signed by William Morris; on not finding immediate success with acting and working odd jobs to make a living; on giving himself a deadline of age 30 to make it as an actor (and meeting that deadline)

02:39

On getting a recurring role on Providence; on experiencing a serialized TV drama for the first time; on his first series regular role on The Division

05:41

On shooting The Unit after shooting the pilot for Mad Men; on not knowing whether or not Mad Men would be picked up

02:41

On how he learned about Mad Men; on his many auditions for the show and Matthew Weiner fighting for him to play "Don Draper"

07:22

On the pilot for Mad Men and Matthew Weiner's vision for "Don Draper"; on how he prepared to play the character; on production on the show

11:32

On the table reads for Mad Men and the Coke commercial and three phone calls in the finale

18:53

Chapter 2

On directing two episodes of Mad Men and what it was like to be on both sides of the camera; on turning down the opportunity to direct in season seven; on what he as an actor brings to directing

07:10

On working in both film and television and the appeal of working in television

01:19

On his castmates on Mad Men; on the relationship between "Betty Draper" and "Don Draper" on Mad Men and working with January Jones

02:13

On the relationship between "Peggy Olson" and "Don Draper" on Mad Men and working with Elisabeth Moss; on pivotal moments in the relationship between "Pete Campbell" and "Don Draper" on Mad Men and working with Vincent Kartheiser; on working with John Slattery on Mad Men and the relationship between "Roger Sterling" and "Don Draper"

07:32

On working with Kiernan Shipka on Mad Men and the relationship between "Sally Draper" and "Don Draper"

04:24

On how his life changed when Mad Men became successful; on the press for and fanbase of Mad Men; on winning a Golden Globe and what he hopes people will be saying about Mad Men in the future; on what he'll miss most about the show

12:19

On his experiences doing live television on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock; on appearing on Web Therapy and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

08:35

On his acting mentors and what he likes about acting; on then-current projects and what he would want to tell his younger self when starting out in the business; on career regrets and where he'll be in ten years

Mad Men

Jon Hamm on how he learned about Mad Men and his first audition for the show (a pre-read); on subsequent callbacks for the role

04:56

Jon Hamm on feeling he was right for the role of "Don Draper" on Mad Men and Matthew Weiner recognizing that and fighting for him

02:33

Jon Hamm on the pilot for Mad Men and Matthew Weiner's vision for "Don Draper"; on how he prepared to play the character

02:10

Jon Hamm on not doing much additional research on the '60s era in his preparations for Mad Men, but remembering the commercials he watched when he was growing up

02:18

Jon Hamm on shows about advertising traditionally not having high stakes, and Mad Men breaking those rules

01:09

Jon Hamm on learning that Mad Men got picked up and the decisions that were made about production

01:21

Jon Hamm on Mad Men shooting in Los Angeles

00:59

Jon Hamm on his process when he received a Mad Men script and maintaining a level of consistency with his character

01:28

Jon Hamm on his process for playing the "Dick Whitman/Don Draper" duality on Mad Men and his working relationship with Matthew Weiner

02:07

Jon Hamm on the table reads for Mad Men and that being the only real rehearsal

01:34

Jon Hamm on not making changes to lines on Mad Men and trusting Matthew Weiner

01:13

Jon Hamm on the period-specific language and smoking culture portrayed on Mad Men

03:06

Jon Hamm on similarities between his father and "Don Draper" on Mad Men

01:35

Jon Hamm on going to dark places while playing "Don Draper" on Mad Men and how "Don's" journey ends in the final episode

04:00

Jon Hamm on the Coca-Cola commercial in the final episode of Mad Men

02:02

Jon Hamm on whether or not "Don Draper" came up with the Coca-Cola commercial in the final episode of Mad Men

01:48

Jon Hamm on being pleased with how the storylines were wrapped up when Mad Men ended

02:05

Jon Hamm on filming the last few episodes of Mad Men without the other regular cast members present

01:29

Jon Hamm on the three phone calls in the finale of Mad Men

02:03

Jon Hamm on directing two episodes of Mad Men and what it was like to be on both sides of the camera; on turning down the opportunity to direct in season seven; on what he as an actor brings to directing

06:05

Jon Hamm on learning from the other directors of Mad Men and learning from all sets he's been on

01:05

Jon Hamm on the relationship between "Betty Draper" and "Don Draper" on Mad Men and working with January Jones

02:13

Jon Hamm on pivotal moments in the relationship between "Peggy Olson" and "Don Draper" on Mad Men and working with Elisabeth Moss

03:27

Jon Hamm on pivotal moments in the relationship between "Pete Campbell" and "Don Draper" on Mad Men and working with Vincent Kartheiser

02:42

Jon Hamm on working with John Slattery on Mad Men and the relationship between "Roger Sterling" and "Don Draper"

01:23

Jon Hamm on working with Kiernan Shipka on Mad Men and the relationship between "Sally Draper" and "Don Draper"

Directors

Jon Hamm on directing two episodes of Mad Men and what it was like to be on both sides of the camera; on turning down the opportunity to direct in season seven; on what he as an actor brings to directing

06:05

Jon Hamm on learning from the other directors of Mad Men and learning from all sets he's been on